Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Ed Burns' next feature: Exclusively on iTunes

Not sure how I missed this story last week in the NY Times, but it's a big deal: Ed Burns is giving his new feature, 'Purple Violets,' exclusively to iTunes.

It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, but didn't spark much interest among distributors.

This is the first exclusive release of an indie movie iTunes will offer, and I think it'll be something to watch.

From the story:

Releasing a feature on iTunes carries its own risks. Mr. Burns’s producing partner, Aaron Lubin, said that video distributors had offered lower-than-expected advance payments for the film’s DVD rights out of fear that its availability on iTunes would cannibalize home-video sales. But he and Mr. Burns said they hoped that the novelty of being the first movie to go out on iTunes would generate more publicity for “Purple Violets” than if it had opened on a few screens in New York and Los Angeles.

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CinemaTech focuses on how new technologies are changing cinema - the way movies get made, discovered, marketed, distributed, shown, and seen. (With occasional forays into other parts of the entertainment economy.) You can also follow CinemaTech on Twitter (@ctechblog).

About Me

For about the last ten years, I've been writing about innovation for publications like the Boston Globe, the New York Times, Wired, Variety, Fast Company, the Hollywood Reporter, Salon.com, BusinessWeek, and Newsweek.
I helped start (and continue to help run) three conferences: Future Forward, the Nantucket Conference on Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Convergence: The Life Sciences Leaders Forum. I also often speak and moderate at other people's conferences, and serve as a commentator on TV and radio. (Which beats actual work.)
You can reach me by e-mailing kirsner - at- pobox.com. My personal site is www.scottkirsner.com.